OFFICIAL:
http://chrismurphymusic.com/
Written
by William Elgin, posted by blog admin
Chris
Murphy’s longstanding career as one of America’s most respected traditional
multi-instrumentalists and songwriters has long flown under the mainstream
radar, for the most part, but he’s been able to build on what is amounting, at
this point, to a real legacy as one of his generation’s brightest songwriting
talents. His latest studio release Water Under the Bridge is another expansive
fourteen song collection with a wide ranging songwriting sensibility that doesn’t
aim for the lowest common folk denominator. Instead, there’s depth and range to
Murphy’s sound far outstripping the efforts of similar, perhaps more staid,
contemporaries. Water Under the Bridge, likewise, highlights Murphy’s
increasing flair for powerful lyrical content as many of these songs make use
of the same traditional language without ever imitating it too broadly. Chris
Murphy’s recent run has been quite impressive indeed and Water Under the Bridge
is another stellar entry in his catalog.
His
literary bent shows with the opener “Moveable Feast” and the quasi-ragtime gait
of the instrumental is a pleasing, unassuming way of opening things up. The
jazz flavor continues with the wonderfully entitled “Joan Crawford Dances the
Charleston” and Murphy guides his accompanying players through a relaxed,
eminently tasteful jaunt through a variety of light jazz tropes they fire up
just a little with the force of their own personalities. “Table for Two”, the
album’s first lyric, benefits from a wryly deadpan Murphy vocal and some
restrained yet effective humor in the lyrics. Murphy definitely has great skill
with language, but his greatest skill is in crafting intelligent yet accessible
lyrics for his songs. We’re back into instrumental territory with “Riverboat
Blues” and this extended blues work out strikes just the right chord without
ever lapsing into purple clichés and the guitar work is especially exemplary.
The beautifully titled “I Swear I’m Going to Learn This Time” is a gentle
lament with ample style and some real pathos in the lyrics. It’s one of the
album’s finest songs.
The
track “Benzedrine Shuffle” doesn’t ever reach the manic highs implied by its
title, thankfully, and proves one of the more stylish musical performances on
Water Under the Bridge. One of the earthier groovers to come along is
definitely “Tomcat Blues”, a near Tom Waits tribute with Murphy giving us his
best growl and obviously relishing every second of the song’s theatricality.
The title song begins with a classic count-in from the drummer and then it’s
off to the races with some breezy jazz that affords each instrument in the mix
a chance to shine. Water Under the Bridge ends with another powerful
instrumental, “Cheer Up Mickey”, that’s just Murphy’s violin and a stomp box
making a resounding final musical statement for an album that’s difficult to
forget.
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